Nobody will deny that Russell Wilson looked pitiful in the New York Giants’ Week 1 loss in Washington. The 10-time Pro Bowler completed less than 50% of his passes and was one of four signal-callers with a passer rating below 60. That’s not exactly a dazzling debut for the Super Bowl champion—and now he’s got Jaxson Dart hot on his trail.
Wilson might not be the player he was a few years ago, but he proved last season he's still a serviceable starter. Yet in a disrespectful twist, NFL Spin Zone’s Christoper Kline ranked the future Hall of Famer as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL after Week 1.
“Jaxson Dart will take over this spot soon enough, but the New York Giants' abysmal Week 1 performance was highlighted by Russell Wilson hitting a new low,” Kline wrote. “The mobility and accuracy that once made Russ so effective has left him.”
Even a struggling Russell Wilson is far from the worst QB in football
Even amid a disastrous debut, a player with Wilson’s pedigree deserves the benefit of the doubt. Having players like Spencer Rattler, Tua Tagovailoa, and Bryce Young ahead of the veteran is just demoralizing. Young threw multiple interceptions, Tagovailoa was severely outclassed— by Daniel Jones of all people—, and Rattler is the league’s most underqualified starter.
Even if Wilson is a shell of the player who carried Seattle to a Lombardi Trophy, calling him the worst starter in football after a single game is absurd. The weapons are in place, and the run game did little to ease the pressure on him — and that’s because of the suspect unit up front.
Kline mentioned the offensive line gave the Cincinnati native no help, and he’s right. Without Andrew Thomas, the offensive line was a turnstile which led to the offense being unable to generate any level of consistency.
That led to the run game faltering, which saw only Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson provide an offensive spark for Big Blue.
In this league, context matters. Judging Wilson as the worst quarterback in football in Week 1 because of the microscope he plays under is an unfair assessment, and it feels like a lazy, knee-jerk reaction from fans ready to see Dart in action
Wilson may no longer be “Let Russ Cook,” but that doesn’t mean he is cooked. He’s on the cusp of reaching 50,000 passing yards in his career, and after over a decade of success, writing him off now is disparaging.
Don’t be surprised if he bounces back in Week 2 against the Cowboys and makes this assessment look laughable in a few weeks from now.